From eyebrow microblading after chemotherapy to post-mastectomy tattoos, these can help heal the trauma of cancer
In Breast Cancer Awareness month, much will rightly be made of the importance of grooming for some patients, and of the power of a well-cut wig to restore privacy. But there are lesser-known beauty treatments with a more lasting ability to help heal the trauma of breast cancer.
London cosmetic tattoo artist Nez Hasan spends much of her time restoring the naturally thinning or overplucked brows of healthy women (myself included – I trust no one else), with microblading – painlessly scoring each individual “lash” into skin for an effect lasting 18-24 months. But the work she loves most is with chemotherapy patients. With their treatment course usually scheduled in a hurry, with little time to plan, Hasan prioritises their appointments – working after hours if necessary – so she can create new brows with the existing ones as guide. “That way, I can prevent the shock of total brow loss as hairs falls out,” she says. She can also replace lost brows from scratch – trickier, but still extraordinarily effective and barely detectable as unnatural.